Last week’s fire emergency started as a fatal car crash which sparked a raging inferno that threatened to engulf the southern coastal part of the Mid West.
The tireless and methodical work of fire crews non-stop for several days is the only reason those communities survived.
Police say an SUV hit a tree on Meadows Road in Mimegarra, Monday, November 25 with the male driver dying at the scene.
Strong winds, hot conditions, and heavy vegetation caused the blaze to spread, stretching to Wedge Island and Grey.
Within days, Cooljarloo, Nambung, and Cervantes were issued emergency warnings along with Wedge Island and Grey, with people warned it was too late to leave, and to shelter in a room in their house with running water and a clear exit.
Prior to the warning, some had taken shelter 25km north in Jurien Bay, where an evacuation centre was set up at the local sport and recreation centre.
The fire forced the closure of Indian Ocean Drive and other roads in the area.
Career firefighters and volunteers from Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Leeman, Geraldton-Greenough, Badgingarra, Coorow, and Eneabba offered assistance to combat the blaze.
Firefighters from as far south as Bunbury sent crews to help contain the fire, which by Sunday had burned through more than 80,000ha.
More than 200 firefighters fought the blaze over the week, rotating to ensure 24-hour support.
Shire of Dandaragan president Tony O’Gorman said the relevant departments helped make the situation much easier to handle.
“The Department of Fire and Emergency Services, DBCA (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions), and the shire staff did a fantastic job,” he said.
“They had numerous volunteers coming in for a relatively short period of time and then heading out again to make sure it was seamless.
“You barely noticed there was a shift change.”
On Friday, residents in the area breathed a sigh of relief, with crews able to hold off the bushfire, stopping it 2km short of the Cervantes town site.
By Friday night, the warning in Cervantes had been downgraded, and residents were allowed to return home.
Mr O’Gorman said it was a stressful situation, but it was fortunate most of the fire-affected area was not occupied by properties.
“The fire was in an area that didn’t have a lot of property, so we’ve had minimal property damage across the fire front,” he said.
“We had some power poles down but Western Power were back on those on Saturday.”
The fire stretched through parts of Nambung National Park.
DFES incident controller Damien Pumphrey said on Friday the Pinnacles at the national park had been saved, but said the natural vegetation around them could have been burned.
Although the rating got as high as a watch and act for the southern parts of the town, Mr O’Gorman said the fire in the area from a couple of years ago had the region prepared.
“We were reasonably comfortable that, even if it did get past Cervantes, once it hit that previous fire we probably wouldn’t have too much of an issue in controlling it there,” he said.
“When you see a fire coming towards you and realise it’s moved 40km in a couple of days, it takes a lot to stop it.”
On top of the crews on the ground, including firefighters, police, and Western Power, there were also crews in the air.
Small air tankers from across the state, as well as two large air tankers from over east, were deployed in a bid to curb the monster blaze.
Planes were also used to identify spot fires to help ground crews.
While the heroes went to work, members of the community decided to do their bit to help.
Some community members offered up rooms in their homes for people and their pets who had to be temporarily relocated, while others wanted to donate goods to the people who had been displaced.
Mr O’Gorman said the contribution from the community was so great, the shire was unable to handle it due to a lack of staff.
“We’ve realised just how good a community we have, that people put their resources and their assets at the disposal of various organisations and individuals just to make sure everybody gets looked after,” he said.
As of Tuesday, the total cost of damage had not been calculated, but the shire was working closely with the DBCA to receive advice.
Meanwhile, Mr O’Gorman wished to thank Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson and DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm who were in the area on Saturday speaking to crews and volunteers.
Labor MLC Sandra Carr was one of the government representatives to visit the area on Saturday to recognise the efforts of the volunteers.
The group took part in a fly over, to see not only the size of the fire but the number of crews combating the blaze.
Ms Carr said the fire crews were methodical in how they approached it.
“I was really quite impressed by the coordination and collaboration of groups to halt the progress of the fire,” she said.
“You could see the strategy behind the backburning and the what was implemented, they made sure the community stayed safe.”
Ms Carr thanked the volunteers and the shire for their efforts in a stressful time.
“They were exhausted working around the clock,” she said.
“It gives you a lot of faith, they’re all very experienced and they all work together and draw on each other’s expertise.”
As of Monday, the fire had been downgraded to a bushfire advice, with firefighters making the area safe with the blaze contained and controlled.
Ms Carr urged the community to have a bushfire plan in place, highlighting the importance of being prepared.
DFES said a bushfire plan took just 15 minutes to plan, with resources available at mybushfireplan.wa.gov.au.
https://thewest.com.au/news/midwest-times/cervantes-bushfire-shire-state-government-praises-efforts-of-volunteers-community-as-fire-downgraded-c-16948396
